[fpworks]

In the process of shopping for another VMC, I've been bombarded by alternatives and improvements to the run-of-the-mill C-frame VMC.

Albeit marketing/sales propoganda, I found this very interesting. Go to Mori's website, and watch their presentation on DCG:

http://www.moriseiki.com/english/index.html (click the hotlink to "...Driven at the Center of Gravity")

At IMTS, three different machine tool manufacturers told me stories about their customers moving a process from a c-frame VMC to their bridge/traveling column/yz column machine and having tremendously better parts (finish, tolerance consistence), then being able to crank up speeds/feeds/DOCs on the new machine to have a much faster process.

I tend to carefully scrutinize what most salespeople tell me. Having said that, I'd like to hear about some actual experiences from process owners/operators.

Justin

[WilliamD]

If the results they are reporting are true and accurate, seems like a pretty nice setup to me! I think I'm going to incorporate this design into some of the projects that I'm working.

[rickyt]

Makino has some nice machines also.

[biomed_eng]

From the concepts taught in the MIT machine design course outline, the DCG concepts seem very valid to me. Like many things in life the 80/20 rule may apply, the end result will be based on 80% real world implementation and 20% theory (in this case, DCG theory).